Faculty of Social Sciences; Chiang Mai University

Founded in 1964, the Faculty of Social Sciences was one of the first three faculties of Chiang Mai University. Since then, it has expanded substantially in terms of its teaching, research, community services and other academic activities. At present, the faculty has 34 faculty members, approximately half of whom hold a doctorate degree.

The faculty offers a wide range of more than 200 undergraduate and graduate courses under various programs with an annual enrollment of around 1,100 students; more than three-quarters of whom are undergraduates. Undergraduate students are required to complete at least 138 semester hours. In most of the programs, students are allowed to take courses in other disciplines outside the faculty as electives or minor subjects. Graduate students must complete at least 36-42 semester hours depending on the programs in which they are enrolled.

The faculty organization consists of three departments and one center: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Department of Political Science, Department of Geography, and Center of Women's Studies. Each department has its own respective undergraduate and graduate programs. Since 2000, the Women's Studies Center has offered a master's program in Women's Studies. In 2001 the faculty, with the cooperation of the Faculty of Economics, instituted a master's program in Political Economy. Moreover, the faculty has newly established an M.A. program in Health Social Sciences in 2004. Apart from this administrative structure, other minor programs and projects have been created and played a major role in the development of the faculty's teaching and research objectives.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers a bachelor degree in Sociology and Anthropology under four different programs of study: sociology, anthropology, social work and social development, depending on students' choice of their specialized field. Courses provided emphasize social organization, social relation, ethnicity, culture, rural development, social work, social planning and development, and social research and methodology. Apart from the undergraduate program, the department also offers a master's program in Social Development and a doctoral program in Social Science.

The Department of Geography offers an undergraduate program in Geography. Teaching is divided into three clusters which include cartography, aerial photography, GIS and remote sensing, human geography and physical geography. The first cluster deals with techniques for analyses and applications of geographical data. The second cluster focuses on the interaction between man and the environment. The third cluster concentrates on physical aspects of the natural environment. Currently, the department offers two master's programs (Geography and Geoinformatics) and offers a doctoral program in Social Science (Geography).

The Department of Social Science and Development offers two undergraduate programs
a bachelor degree in Thai Studies (Thai program) and a bachelor degree (international program) in Social Science. Apart from the undergraduate program, the department also offers a master’s program in Social Science. The MA program is comprised of four subject areas, called study tracks, these being: 1) Development Studies (international program), 2) Ethnicity and Development, 3) Women’s Studies, and 4) Health Social Sciences.

The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development was created in 1998 with an endowment from the Ford Foundation. It aims to act as a center for the development of social science in countries located in the Mekong subregion. The main activities currently undertaken by RCSD include running of the international master's program in Social Science and Sustainable Development, non-degree training programs, research and setting of a data base project. In the year 2001, RCSD offers a Ph.D. program in Social Science. RCSD programs have drawn students not only from several Asian countries including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China and Japan, but also from western countries such as USA, Canada, Germany and Australia. The center has also become a focal point for networking and collaboration within international scholars in social science around the world.

Sustainable Land Use and Natural Resource Management Academic Center (SLUSE)

SLUSE Academic Center is Chiang Mai University's operating unit of Thailand Universities Cooperation for Environment and Development-Sustainable Land Use and Natural Resource Management (TUCED-SLUSE) comprising Kasetsart, Chiang Mai, and Maejo Universities and Royal Forest Department (RFD), and funded by Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA). SLUSE program applies problem-orientation and interdisciplinary to understand and solve problems of development and environment at community/sub-watershed up to national and regional levels. The program includes interdisciplinary graduate programs (M.S., and Ph.D. in the near future), problem-oriented research employing integration of social and applied natural scientific knowledge and methodologies, short course training, and networking of local national and international stakeholders for learning process enhancement.

The Asian Studies Center is currently operating as a program affiliated to the Faculty. It has engaged in research, information collection and teaching in Asian studies. The Center offers a master's program in Regional Studies in coordination with four other Faculties within Chiang Mai University (Economics, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts). It has also been active in academic collaboration with scholars in countries within the Mekong subregion and Japan. In the near future the center will be offering a B.A. degree program in Thai Studies to both Thai students and Chinese students from Yunnan Normal University.

Bachelor Degree Program in Thai Studies

In recent years, there has been increased interest in Thai Studies on the part of both Asian and Western scholars. Each faculty and department at Chiang Mai University has a variety of well established courses about Thailand. These courses have been combined into one program to promote the development of new knowledge based upon the expertise of Chiang Mai University scholars. Our Thai Studies program will strengthen academic collaboration in geography, history, culture, society, economy, language, politics, and other aspects of Thailand. In addition, it will allow both Thai people and foreigners to develop a holistic understanding of the country.

Master Degree Program in Health and Social Sciences

This new program has been developed in recognition of the complex relations of health and society. The program provides students with a broad theoretical framework and advanced knowledge in social sciences as well as stimulates them to use theoretical tools in practice and to develop theoretical and methodological research skills necessary to produce an independent research work. Reflecting current health and social issues, the program offers a variety of courses such as working and family, food and consumption behavior, ageing health and society, health and environment, the social and economic dimensions in health policy and management as well as the ethical issues in health. This program welcomes health professionals and those graduated in social sciences degrees, sharing experiences and truly joined up the inter-disciplinary approach in exploring health-related issues.

Members of the Faculty of Social Sciences have engaged extensively in research and other academic activities. They have conducted a number of remarkable research projects including natural resource management, GIS mapping, gender issues, northern Thai myth and rituals, social problems, local government and ethnic minorities. The Faculty facilitates the work of its faculty members through the setting up of various programs and projects which are affiliated to the Faculty. These are:
   - Northern Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Center
   - Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge Studies Center for Research and      Sustainable Development
   - Center for Tambon (Subdistrict) Administrative Organization Studies
   - Network for Decentralization Development
   - Academic Center for Children and Communities

In order to facilitate teaching, research and academic activities, the Faculty has strengthened its library facilities. The Faculty library has collections of approximately 43,000 textbooks, around 13,000 of which are in English. The collections also include more than 300 Thai and international current periodicals. All library holdings are cataloged electronically on a system that is accessible to users in all other libraries on campus and is linked to a variety of remote databases.

The faculty has a computer center with four computer rooms and more than 70 terminals for use by students. Its computing facilities are connected to the University's central computing facility and can support research on an extensive scale. All students are eligible to use the computing facilities, which also offer access to the Internet.

The Faculty has a computer center with four computer rooms and more than 70 terminals for use by students. Its computing facilities are connected to the University's central computing facilities and can support research on an extensive scale. All students are eligible to use the computing facilities, which also offer access to the Internet and the World Wide Web.

Address
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Tel: (66 53) 94 3555 Fax: (66 53) 222 763
http://www.soc.cmu.ac.th